Week One In Colorado

We flew back into Colorado Springs on April 19, and the theme of the next eight days for me was mainly JET LAG! Of course, my traveling partners, Linda and her sister, Danette, suffered too. For me I got little to no sleep for eight days -- but last night, April 27, I logged in 8-1/2 hours. God is good!!!


Linda flew back to Kokomo on Wednesday, April 23. I have had the privilege on a couple of days to seek quiet time with God while reading the Gospels at sunrise with an unobstructed view of Pikes Peak. It is hard to miss the grandeur and glory of the Lord!

Since I was struggling with Jet Lag, I stayed close to Colorado Springs for a couple of short hikes on Mount Herman, just a few miles to the north. I hiked there alone on Thursday and it was isolated. It gave me an overwhelming sense of God's greatness, but also my own vulnerability. The trailhead starts at elevation and is less than two miles to the top. Near the top the trail became less clear, so rather than getting lost in the mountains :-), I came back down, still marveling at God's wonders.

I took Friday, as planned, for a day of solitude with the Lord. I returned to Mount Herman on Saturday with Danette, who ably got me to the top. From the summit you could see Pikes Peak to the south, Mt Evans and Beirstadt to the north, and the vast plains to the east. It was incredible! Some other hikers were there who snapped our picture at the top.

After that short hike on Saturday, I spent more time with the Lord, crashed for some needed sleep that afternoon, and prepared for worship with the Christian Deaf Church on Sunday.

The Christian Deaf Church provides such an important ministry. Many deaf people grow up in environments where they have been misunderstood or mistreated by their families, or where they have been ridiculed by others. To experience the love of Jesus Christ and draw on his power for living in the Christian Deaf Church is a remarkable blessing from God! And when the Deaf Church meets, they meet to CELEBRATE JESUS!

An important part of their worship is singing to the Lord. But how do you do that if you are deaf and can't hear the music? The deaf don't need music to sing. They do so with their hands as they sign their praises to God. But there are hearing people in the deaf church, too, so the song leader sings out loud for them to follow along.

Linda's brother Tim, who is deaf and who is the minister of the Christian Deaf Church, does a tremendous job in preaching. On back to back weeks in worship I have thought, "Man, this guy is good!" More importantly, he is sold out to Jesus Christ. Working a full time job as a mail carrier, he devotes every weekend to delivering God's word to the deaf.

And you can see that he makes good use of the projection system our youth group raised money for a few years ago!

Other important elements of worship in the Deaf Church, just like at JRCC, are communion and offering. Here you can see the men passing the elements, collecting the offering, and praying for God's blessings.

It's fun to watch the people after church. They are simply in no hurry to leave. They seem to enjoy chatting with each other and drawing strength from their fellowship in Christ.

When our youth group took it's trip to Colorado Springs a few years ago, two of the boys we became acquainted with, James (L) and Frankie (R), are still active in the church. Most deaf people have a "sign name," a single sign that is used instead of having to take the time to fingerspell their name. James keeps using the sign for "crazy" as my sign name! You don't have to be hearing to be ornery :-)!!!!

One of the great things is how the Deaf Church is such a family affair for Linda's family. In the four pictures below, you can see Linda's mom, Dot, chatting with a young deaf boy; Danette listening intently to a lady talking, with Michael, Tim and Tami's son, standing with his back turned in the background; Tami, Tim's wife, involved in conversation with a group; and my niece Dani and her very cool son, Hayden.

One of my objectives was to get an intensive start on learning sign language. My brain is suffering "sign language overload," but I am making good progress. Earlier in the week Tami spent some dedicated time helping me learn some important Christian signs. Yesterday Tim put me through a 2-1/2 hour workout :-). We have a great time together, and he is very patient with how little I know. Below you can see him teaching me the signs to "Jesus loves you!"

I continue to hear great things about our Sunday services back home, and I sure miss you all. But God is showing and teaching me some remarkable things and I appreciate how all of you have partnered with me in the Clergy Renewal. Until next time, I send all of my love to you in Christ!

China

Our purpose in going to China, in large part, was to get a firsthand look at China Now Ministries, one of the major mission points we support at JRCC. Although we missed Janet, his wife, who was tending to family matters back in the states, it was terrific watching our missionary, Danny Thurston (far right) interacting with the Chinese Christians in Hong Kong.

Here we are standing at the front door of the Good News Church of Christ. The church rents space upstairs in a commercial area of Hong Kong.

Although meeting in a small facility that will hold about 75, they have a full praise band and projection system on a stage that is about 10' by 15'. Talk about making the most of your space! And their worship was as enthusiastic as any we have been in, using many of the contemporary songs we sing but doing so in BOTH Chinese and English.

The Chinese Christians were unbelievably friendly, and many of them wanted pictures with me or with Linda and her sister Danette.

It was a great thrill for me to preach the gospel in the Good News Church of Christ. Their Chinese pastor, Mark, interpreted for me and as you can see, we had a good time in the process.

During our time in Hong Kong and China we rode in every conceivable form of transportation: small bus, double-decker bus, taxi, subway and ferry.

The Hong Kong harbor is a bustling place, but the night time harbor light show was absolutely fantastic-- and free!

Our visit to the Great Wall was truly awe inspiring. It draws crowds as big as our country's amusement parks, and runs as far as the eye can see. I did four short video devotions, but with a non-stop Chinese P.A. going in the background. It was hazy the day we went there, but you could still not escape the magnitude of this ancient wonder.

The next day we went to the ancient sites of the Temple of Heaven and the Forbidden City in Beijing. The sheer size of these spectacles with their vast courtyards and multiple temples and halls staggers the imagination. Although the ancient Chinese worshiped numerous gods, they did have a concept of a supreme god that even the emperors felt compelled to worship.

On the culinary side of things, we ate authentic Chinese food every single day and it was scrumptious. Here Danny is teaching his sisters the fine art of using chopsticks.

We did not have too many exotic dishes, but did have ones that included eel, pigeon (with the head still attached), and an unknown shell fish. In a "cultural mall" in very modern Beijing, I did eat a couple of fried grasshoppers. Linda asked me how they were and I truthfully told her I thought they were good. She tried one and by her reaction (after she spit it out), you can tell what she thought!!

One of the impressive parts of our trip was seeing the far-reaching effects of Danny and Janet's ministry at China Now. After worshiping with the Good News Church of Christ in Hong Kong (which they helped establish), we traveled one day to Guangzhou (a city of 3 million) where we met one of Danny's Chinese co-workers, Barnabas and his family. Then in Beijing we met Adam Ensign, a Central Christian College Graduate who now lives in Beijing studying Mandarine Chinese and working with the Chinese church. Danny has been one of his mentors and Adam is so grateful for Danny's influence. We also met a Chinese man, brother Guan, who is a product of their ministry. So we saw with our own eyes, up close and personal, how the mission of China Now Ministries has touched the lives of people in Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Beijing and beyond.

And from the Great Wall you find yourself, like Jesus, having compassion on this great people who, just like their American counterparts, are like sheep without a shepherd. Thank God the mission of Christ in China is touching people's lives so that they can know the Great Shepherd.

Hawaii

Things started normally enough as we arrived at the Indy airport, but we were soon pulling our hair out over delays and a lost day in Houston.

We finally arrived in Honolulu late afternoon on Saturday, just long enough to stroll around Waikiki beach, grab a bite, then zonk out in preparation for Sunday worship.

The Island Family Christian Church is very impressive! Meeting in a middle school, they set up and tear down chairs, sound and lights, stage furniture, decorative banners, and more every Sunday for a church of 400 that has two Sunday services. The people were VERY friendly and the worship was very inspirational.

Rick Hahn, a seasoned preacher of the gospel and native of Oahu, is new to this church, having been there a little over two months.

Imagine, preaching in an Hawaain shirt and wearing a lea that was given to me! I spoke at two services to a very appreciative church family on the subject of prayer.

The priase band, vocalists, and dancers were spectacular!

We were delighted to be able to visit with Henrietta Luttrell, our long time missionary of Hawaii Calls mission. Linda not only got a shot of her in action in the Sunday School hour, but we were able to have lunch with her and her family, then travel up to Waianae and visit in her home. Before we left I had a circle prayer with everyone, praying for specific requests.

On Monday, we climbed Diamond Head and got some spectacular views of Honolulu, Waikiki beach, and the Pacific Ocean.

We swam at Waikiki Beach, climbed Diamond Head, went to a Luau, traveled to Waimea Valley Park (I swam at the base of Waimea Falls), saw whales in the distance off of the North Shore and watched it rain our entire last day :). But as we prepare to fly to Hong Kong, we are overwhelmed at the grandeur of God's creation, humbled at the lifetime of dedicated service by Henrietta Luttrell, and thrilled at how the gospel is flourishing in the Island Family Christian Church. And, of course, we miss you!